I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 103: The Worst Possible Positioning

"Juyeon-nim! We have an emergency!"

Despite having radios, the knights had flown all the way to the transport ship in person.

Juyeon calmed the urgent-looking knights and listened to their report with composure.

"A large number of marine monsters are crawling onto land...!"

"So that’s what I’ve been sensing. What’s their level?"

Juyeon wasn’t surprised by the Paradise Knights' report.

She had already sensed something was off.

It was nothing more than confirmation that the ominous feeling she had been having was right.

"Most of them exceed the level of the cadets. These aren’t creatures that normally reside near the uninhabited island."

"Any other abnormalities?"

"...The monsters are behaving strangely."

"If you have any specific details, tell me everything."

The Paradise Knights were an elite force.

They knew that time was a priceless resource.

So they kept their report concise.

"First, all of the monsters' eyes are red."

Whether because of this or not, they showed abnormal aggression, completely ignoring pain.

Even if their vital points were struck, even if powerful attacks hit them, they kept going.

They didn’t stop until death, making them far harder to put down.

"And all electronic devices have gone completely offline."

Juyeon immediately picked up two radios.

One was for communication with the academy instructors.

The other was linked to the Paradise Knights' network.

"This is Juyeon from Transport Ship 1. Anyone receiving this, respond."

No answer.

Even when she switched to the emergency channel, no voices came through.

The radio link between the transport ships was also completely down.

‘A signal jammer? If the disruption is this wide, then is it a skill-based effect?’

Whatever the cause, there was no reason to panic.

The only option was to stay calm and act accordingly.

‘This was precise... and thorough.’

Silently shutting down all devices.

If the monsters' berserk state was also caused by a skill, then there had to be a reason why it wasn’t detected despite the island being monitored.

Whoever was behind this knew about the academy instructors and the Paradise Knights.

And they had acted only after thorough preparation.

"This reeks of clear malice."

At Juyeon’s words, the knights steeled their resolve.

They weren’t on the level of their Grand Marshal, but every knight here had survived ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) multiple battlefields.

They had experience—and sharp instincts honed through countless battles.

"Juyeon-nim. Please give us your orders. We’ll spread them personally."

"Thank you. For the safety of the cadets, the practical exam ends here."

"Understood!"

There was more than enough data to evaluate the cadets already.

And if needed, they could modify the scoring by adding an additional test back at the academy.

Even if some complained, it didn’t matter.

From the academy’s perspective, cadet safety was the absolute priority.

"First, the Paradise Knights should inform the instructors and gather the cadets in a safe location."

"Yes!"

"And one of you needs to leave the island to measure the range of the disruption. Once you reach an area where radios work again, report the situation to the academy through the emergency channel."

"I'll do it!"

A female knight stepped forward, her confidence showing that she was confident in her speed.

"I'll go around the transport ship and ask them to descend to the lowest altitude possible. After that, I’ll..."

Juyeon began rapidly assigning tasks.

Lancelot, the Paradise Knights' commander, was absent.

They couldn’t rely on him.

It wasn’t about feeling regret—it was clear that their enemy had timed this attack specifically to exploit that gap.

‘Who is the target?’

It was hard to say.

This uninhabited island contained too many high-value individuals for criminals to ignore.

Even among the cadets, there were numerous children of influential figures.

The Paradise Knights had also spent years hunting down criminals across the Sepia Archipelago.

And the academy instructors—they were all talented individuals with notable past achievements.

‘Or perhaps...’

Juyeon considered one last possibility.

Maybe, more than anyone else—

She herself was the target.

She knew that was a real possibility.

"..."

A burning flame flickered in Juyeon's eyes.

***

Srrng!

Rohan drew his longsword and sliced through both Hornbirds in a single stroke.

— Kiiik!

— Piii!

The heavy chunks of flesh thudded onto the dirt.

Now that their life force was severed, the red glow in their eyes slowly faded.

"Tsk."

Rohan's mind grew heavier.

‘...I was sure this would happen on the last day...’

Now that he thought about it, in Abyss City, the event was never given a specific date.

Rohan lifted his head, looking at the transport ships in the sky.

‘The instructors must have realized by now.’

Even if they only just figured it out, it wasn’t too late.

This was inevitable.

Hekes' Frenzy Factor was a skill-infused drug, manufactured through magic.

However, if magic power was stripped away, it was nothing more than a volatile chemical, easily manipulated.

Hekes' skills, technology, and artifacts.

Those three elements formed a perfect trinity, making it difficult for even Juyeon, with her vast perception, to notice anything in time.

Especially when her focus was on monitoring the cadets.

On top of that, Hekes had mixed in weaker monsters like Geroais, scattering them across the island and sea.

By combining the Frenzy status effect with a pheromone lure, he had successfully driven marine monsters onto land.

‘What a fucking nuisance.’

Rohan kicked the shredded Hornbird corpses into the bushes.

The drug made through Hekes' skills evaporated the moment its host died.

It was technically safe to eat, but just the thought of it made him lose his appetite.

"..."

Rohan sheathed his longsword and closed his eyes.

He analyzed, contemplated, and planned.

‘The leader of the Reverse Praise Society is coming.’

A force far beyond what I can handle is approaching.

Only Juyeon could fight him on this island.

‘Then I need to prepare her.’

Rohan immediately opened the store.

He hated regretting things he could have done.

‘No room for complacency.’

He remembered the warning text—the monsters would become increasingly violent.

And Omega wasn’t the only threat.

There were too many unknowns to sit back and do nothing.

[Purchased Large Combat Rations.]

[Purchased Bottled Water.]

He bought four of each.

His arms were now full of supplies.

‘...I really do feel like a dad.’

With extra-large portions, Noah would recover quickly.

Ichinose and Corinne would be full but not sluggish.

***

Back at the shelter, Rohan calmly unloaded the rations and water.

Ichinose and Corinne, who had been struggling with the fire, stared at him wide-eyed.

"Rohan... what the hell did you bring back...?"

"Combat rations...? And even water?!"

Noah’s tail began spinning like a propeller.

The wind from her tail wagging made the campfire flicker wildly.

"This must be hidden supplies on the island. Lucky find. Let’s eat."

"A-Are you sure...?"

Corinne hesitated, looking guilty.

Thinking this was a good time to explain, Rohan sat down and started preparing the self-heating combat meals.

"You have to eat. I saw something weird earlier."

"Weird?"

He explained how the monsters were behaving abnormally, with excessive aggression.

Not just the Hornbirds, but other monsters too.

Then he stressed that maintaining their condition was critical.

With that, Corinne was convinced.

Ichinose, however, narrowed her eyes.

"That is strange. I’ve never heard of anything like this."

"Werewolves become feral during a full moon. Could it be something like that?"

Corinne’s theory made Ichinose tilt her head.

Noah, meanwhile, didn’t care at all.

She was completely fixated on the food Rohan was preparing.

"That only applies to certain species. I’ve never heard of Hornbirds or Iron Turtles behaving that way."

"Could the academy have done something for the exam?"

"If it was a safety risk, they would have warned us beforehand..."

But since Rohan wasn’t saying anything, the cadets’ discussion wasn’t going to reach a conclusion.

"For now, let’s just eat."

Rohan finished preparing the curry and mapo tofu meals.

The girls couldn’t help but gulp in anticipation.

Even Ichinose, who had shared her ramen with Corinne, wasn’t an exception.

***

After a satisfying meal, Rohan left the girls in charge of the fire.

He went to gather wood while scanning the surroundings.

The worry in his mind didn’t fade.

‘Omega infiltrated through Hekes’ ability.

Abyss City had an immediate, massive battle the moment he arrived.

But right now, the more important question was how.

How exactly was he getting in, and where would he appear?

‘Wherever it is, I need to keep people away from it.’

If cadets were near Omega’s emergence point, they had to be driven out.

That bastard was brutally sadistic.

The best outcome was to make sure he met Juyeon, just like in the original story.

"Hmm..."

As Rohan gathered more firewood, he reviewed the situation, making sure he hadn’t missed anything.

Just as he was about to return—

The ground suddenly shook.

"!!!"

— Rumble... Rumble...!

The tremors grew stronger.

Something was coming.

It was shaking so violently that it was hard to stay balanced.

Fwooosh!!!

The wet ground burst open—a Worm emerged.

Its purple-and-pink body slithered out, at least three meters of it visible above ground.

It was huge.

‘Are you kidding me?!’

Worms don’t live on uninhabited islands.

But now one was here.

And there was only one thing to do.

Clank!

Rohan dropped the firewood and drew his longsword.

"Fuuuu..."

He exhaled, preparing for combat.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

But the Worm didn’t attack.

It just stood still.

‘Why isn’t it moving...?’

This wasn’t lucky—it was suspicious.

The only thought in Rohan’s head was to run back to the shelter and get everyone out.

— Grrrrk!

The Worm’s thick body convulsed.

— Gweh...!

Then—

It vomited out a human.

A massive man thudded onto the ground.

His face was covered in burn scars, and his jaw was completely replaced with black machinery.

The moment Rohan locked eyes with him—

His body froze.

"An academy cadet, huh? Hahaha!!! Looks like I came to the right place."

Out of all possible scenarios.

This was the worst one.

The only thought in Rohan’s head—

FUCK.

[Achievement Unlocked: Encounter with Humanity’s Traitor, Omega.]

[Reward: 40P Earned.]